


Birthdays

by starsinger



Series: In the Beginning [5]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-01
Updated: 2013-12-01
Packaged: 2018-01-03 02:31:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1064687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starsinger/pseuds/starsinger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Title really says it all. Don’t own them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Birthdays

Birthdays were either really easy or really hard in the Kirk/Pike household. It all depended on whose birthday it was. When they had first started seeing each other Jim and Chris would go out someplace nice for Chris’ birthday and have a small celebration. That first year, McCoy had to help Jim pick out a present, because he really didn’t have a clue. The found a four hundred year old edition of the Koran bound in leather. Chris, who had been fascinated for years by the many religions that had sprung up around Earth, was flabbergasted, and grateful.

Jim’s birthday was another story. In the weeks leading up to it, he never said a word. The only reason he remembered was that Admiral Archer mentioned something about going out to the Kelvin Memorial on Thursday. “Are you and Jim going?” Archer asked.

“I…I don’t know. I’ll have to ask Jim. That’s Jim’s birthday, isn’t it?” Chris asked.

“Yeah, haven’t you two discussed anything about it?” Archer asked.

Chris sighed, “No, I suspect that his birthday wasn’t a very happy occasion in his home.” This turned out to be too true. McCoy told him that he was throwing Jim a party for his birthday. Chris thought this was a good idea. Well, it was a good idea until he walked in and found Jim cleaning McCoy’s half of the dorm. It was Uhura who got Jim to put down the vacuum cleaner he had in one hand and the feather duster he had in the other to sit down and enjoy his party. Uhura finished cleaning up with some help from Gaila and Spock.

Jim simply didn’t know what to do. He was told he had to blow out the candle, and open the presents. He’d witnessed birthdays before, his brother Sam being the most noticeable, but no one had wanted to celebrate his birthday, least of all his mom. Chris watched as Jim sat with wonder, unwrapping presents people had actually bought him. Spock and Uhura had given him a copy of Moby Dick. Scotty and McCoy pitched in for a bottle of Jack Daniels. Various others had given him small gifts that he carefully put away someplace safe. Finally, he opened the present from Chris, “1001 Tales of the Arabian Nights.”

Over the next few years Jim had the chance to become adjusted to being a valued member of the Academy’s community. When he tried to become withdrawn on his birthday, Chris and Bones would make sure they would draw him out. They avoided anything to do with the Kelvin, and focused their attention solely on Jim. One year, Chris took McCoy and Gaila down to meet the family. McCoy was knocked down and slobbered on by Sally, the family dog, giving her firm seal of approval to the new visitors.

The worst of Jim’s birthdays, by anybody’s standards, happened while he was fighting for his life after his fight with Khan. His crew brought in various small gifts and laid them on his bedside table. No one opened them, that was Jim’s job, but they continued on with the party. Uhura made sure the nursing staff put a piece of the strawberry cake in the fridge for later. Turns out, Kirk wasn’t a big chocolate fan, but give him strawberry and he would virtually hoard the whole cake. Somehow, when Jim awoke, he remembered hearing the party and fondly wished that he was awake enough to attend.

The best happened the next year. Two weeks into their five year voyage, Chris managed to coax and cajole Jim into going down to the rec room to find a surprise party waiting for him. They had decorated the room in bright, festive colors. A stark contrast to the hospital room that had been his home the year before. When the party was winding down, Chris found Jim staring out the port window, looking at the stars. “You know Chris, when I was small, I’d see my brother Sam having birthday parties, and I’d envy him those. As I got older, I never really thought about it anymore, I just wasn’t special enough to have those things that other kids received. Now, I’m an adult,” Chris put his arm around the young man. “and I have all that I could ever have wanted right here.”


End file.
